You'd not be mistaken to denote a library is the centre of varying excellence, a gift from our forefathers who pained their way through grandiose hardships to deliver an education, inspiration, insurmountable references to eras locked away in the passage of time. My teenager nostalgia of libraries wasn't purely about actual learning really, more about self - observations, the surreal quietness triggered carefree thoughts, I comprehended I needed to have zero distractions to resolve issues / write essays / come up with plausible innovations. Where else do you in society have this ambient luxury? In adulthood, I crave for this space for thought, I view books as if they're elaborate patisserie in a shop window; if you open them up, you're transported, enchanted and more often than not... informed. This is the 'cherry on the patisserie' - a squared sweetener for those who're 'information sponges.'
Quite honestly, I am incensed at the closures of libraries all over Britain - yes, I said it. The Library Service has been incessantly squeezed by this illegible clause of sustained 'austerity.' Cavalierly disbanding this vital service inevitably will have major consequences on our societal function. Why even in the late 1940s when GDP was at 200 plus percent, in far worse state than the zenith of the financial crash in the late 2000s, what differed was that the UK administration knew the importance of the education hub to harness future education for generations to come. I adored the designated reference areas, they created a hive of quiet activity, where ideologies are formed and inspirations are prevalent. I was fortunate to experience the heated, creaky stillness while studying the works of John Betjeman on warm summer evenings - and sliding off to the warm Bodleian on an icy day, to bathe in the emblematic green desk lights which marked out study cubicles - a place that knows all about placate colouring and its philosophy on the cerebral state; the ambiance and inspiring references shaped my dissertation. I didn't know it at the time, alas, looking nostalgically back, I mildly, clandestinely felt I was among greatness, yet my youthfulness acted as a sedative to the educative agglomeration of the vicinity I was in, feverishly hunting out scholarly quotations. You're reminded of the musty age via odour, all libraries once had it - if anything it was a comfort, invigorating in the primal sense.
The irony is... by closing libraries you're automatically losing innovators and philosophers and designers; of the premise, this is where they reside as embryonic versions of themselves; I already relate to a void in these skill sets; within a decade, the shortfall of these skills will inadvertently cost a fortune, ironically far more than handing out steady investments year upon year to keep the information hub (s) open. Local Government Associations effectively have one arm tied behind their backs due to the projected resource constraints over the next four years, in real terms a 29% deficit for a growing populous is insanity policy-making - to add oil to the flame, 'LGA's are the main source of income for all academies / free schools and Further Education Centres in 2020. Inadvertently, leaving the 'LGA' wide open to not facilitating or complying with contracts, resulting in possible legal action. I'll go as far to say, future administrations will be forced to bankroll 'Bibliothèques' to fill the chasm of a lost educative generation, brought on by disingenuous and calamitous 'home policies' from our current administration. Meaning that the 'LGA' will run at a relentless deficit on par with the debacle in the US several years ago, the problem is, Britain's growth is too entrenched with the global financial markets to steam roll for sustained growth; to rescue the 'LGA's' who're frantically juggling and swimming simultaneously. No wonder libraries are on the decline.
Digital data shows no age... what a pity
I don't adhere to hyperbole headlines nor do I believe that the answer is purely technological - indeed, you cannot underestimate the physicality of a book; the entity alone is a reminder of what it represents... 'a better future, a more informed you,' this is very different to digital media... at one click it disappears, of 'your' say so too - you can't hide books so easily. As soon as you lose touch with our ideological references, your open to misinterpretations, it's no coincidence that our young adults have indirectly become insular. disengaged, disinterested in knowing the foundations of living in a free society - because to them, nothing is free any longer, 'austerity' has taught them that - many are disenfranchised from the free world mantra, meanwhile equipping the future and generations oppressively.The sadness is, that Britain has evolved with pace into a state of societal divide, a behemoth reason for this is the demise of the library. True / honest multiculturalism resides in the library - no other information hub can provide that amount of rich resource for free - plus, no 'Kindle' or digital device has the tactual or ability to offer their users a huge learning spectrum; replicating a walk-in library. Digital data is immune to the affects of time too, all of this format shows no sign of age, which begs the question: 'will the emerging generations comprehend deterioration and better still, respect it?' Here's a hint: the rise of super capitalism is an indication of how it's going to turn out.
As inequality widens the requirement for a library to lose oneself in is more urgent, this is the reality. Escapism from the realities of impoverish urbanization and economic austerity has never been so important; overall, the impoverish hovels are manageable if you've a chair, a desk, perhaps a desk-light and a Johann Wolfgang von Goethe at the fingertips - not a lot to ask for, considering the banks got bailed out for the price close to a trillion pounds due to their own malpractices and still the public haven't received any dividends when the public-owned fiscal institution's 'workable' commodities were sold off earlier this year. We live in an grotesque era of fissure, what I hate is the concept of a library and it's immeasurable resources evaporating from City Centres cascading into normality. Sadly, communities have no choice but to accept the uncompromising of a despot - the result is: 'delusional spartan unheeded.'
For the demographics who don't possess a device, the local library is their cornerstone for autonomy, vital for a quality of life that many take for granted. Alas, the evidence shows that public spaces are increasingly seen as a retail park for the corporate conglomerates. notably, a contemptible sort of opportunism exists today, they offer bids on local space with local libraries part of the deal. Another worrying sign is the perverse gentrification residing in cities up and down the country, this demographic equation poses a threat - ye-s, super capitalism's footprint stepping forward encroaching on all of our lives. I half expect to see signs up saying; 'only walk inside the 2ft blue dotted line, while we knock down the old local library, so we can build a replica building that doesn't contain filthy books.'
Without sounding too much like a doom teller, I hope when or if a benevolent solar storm commences and knocks the technological world out of the park for six, leaving us destitute and more or less ridiculously obsolete; I hope they'll be enough books about if such an event occurs, so we can take solace in a book and learn from the mistakes humankind has made. Perhaps take heed in the idiom: 'don't put all of your 'Kider' eggs in one basket,' obviously, you'll get a nice surprise if you don't - who knows what fun is inside; maybe new innovations and visions. We can build new horizons all thanks to our local libraries occupied with real books. Try to support our libraries wherever you are.
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